Frank Movie Reviews
Frank Movie Reviews believes a movie is a complex being in which every detail, nuance, camera angle, and piece of clothing are there to support the story, and every detail must be perfect. It takes mega-money to make a movie, so everything should be perfect. Frank Movie Reviews tells people - always to deaf ears - that watching a movie a second time is even better. All those intricate details and nuances become more apparent and satisfying during the second viewing. Frank Movie Reviews typically watches a movie twice before writing a review, and enjoys the movie even more the second time. However, one of my rating criteria is, “Did I enjoy the film after the first viewing.”
Rating Criterion used by Frank Movie Reviews:
Did I like the movie after the first viewing? Did the film entertain me, or teach me, move my emotions, scare me, did it do anything? Did I get immersed in the movie and escape reality? If Frank Movie Reviews enjoyed the film after the first viewing, it is accessible and easy to understand, which usually means it is well written and executed.
Story Line / Plot: Is the story credible? The story doesn’t have to be real, but it must be plausible in some universe. Does the story unfold correctly? Is the point of the story gotten across? Is it a three-act movie, linear, non-linear?
Acting: It does not need to be Oscar-winning acting all the time. The acting just needs to keep us immersed in the film and be consistent and accurate for the time and place. The actors cannot take us out of the story by their bad acting or terrible look. Is the dialogue concise and valid for the date, time, and location?
Cinematography: It is not just the pretty pictures. Cinematography for Frank Movie Reviews includes everything, including the lighting, shadows, camera motion, and camera angles. It all should be perfect.
Production Value, Directing, and Editing: Does everything come together as one? Directing and editing set the pace and flow. Is the pace and flow of the film pleasing? Movies are usually in three acts, 1) The Setup or Intro, 2) The Conflict, there is always some problem, and 3) The Resolution. Is the pace and flow throughout the three acts pleasing and appropriate?
Sound: Not just the soundtrack music, sound includes all the sound effects, the speaking, and the ambient background music you sometimes are not consciously hearing.
Even though Frank Movie Reviews at FrankMovieReview.com thinks about the above criteria when rating a movie, it is subjective at some point. If all the film elements coalesce into a satisfying experience, if nothing seriously offends Frank Movie Reviews, and if Frank Movie Reviews can escape reality for a couple of hours, the movie receives two and a half stars. The film earns more stars by meeting the criteria listed above.
Frank@FrankMovieReviews.com